Floor and ceiling plate.



H. J. KAST.

FLOOR AND CEILING PLATE.

APPLICATION FILED III/III. I5. 1915.

Ll 59,392.4 Patented Nov. 9.1915.

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OF WATERBUR-Y, CONNECTIL'CUT, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN PIN' CGMPANY, QFAWATERBURY, CONNECTCU'LA CURPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

FLOOR AND CEILNG PLATE.

@atented Nov. 9, i915.

.application filed March 15, 1915. Serial No. 14,429.

To all whom it may concern.'

Beit known that I, HENRY J. KAST, a citi-A zen of the United States7residing in Waterbury', county of New Haven, and State of Connecticut,have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Floor and CeilingPlates, of which the following is a full and clear specification.

This invention relates to floor and ceiling plates and has for itsprimary object to provide an improved construction, combination andarrangementof parts in a device of this character, which will enhancethe ornamentali appearance of such a device and better adapt it for useand to the'requirements of shop p `actice involved in its manufacturaOne of the objects of the present invention is to provide improved meansfor movably connecting the main parts or segments of which the floor andceiling plate is constructed. l

nother object is to provide improved means for latching those ends ofthe main parts or segments which are opened out to adapt the floor andceiling plate to be installed around a pipe.

Other and further objects will appear in the specification and bepointed out in the appended claims.l reference being had to theaccompanying drawings which. show the preferred embodiment of myinvention.l

in the drawings: Figure l is a top pian view of the iioor and ceilingplate closed; Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 2 with the segments opened out; Fig. 4 is a section onthe line V-IV, Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a section on the line V-V, Fig. 3.

It has been a common expedient in the art to construct fioor and ceilingplates in two parts which may be entirely disconnected from each otherand then assembled in position around a pipe. One of the main objectionsto such a construction was that the parts being completely separablewere frequently misplaced bybecoming detached from their complementaryparts. t has also been a common expedient to connect the parts orsegments of a floor and ceiling plate by a hinge, 'thus making the partsincapable of being disassociated, but such hinges have invariably formeda protuberance' on the outer surfaceof the plate in use or havenecessitated making such parts unsvmmetrical and unlike each other. Bothoi these expediente have proven not entirely `satisfactory for thesereasons. The present invention contemplates a construction whichobviates the undesirable features of both, of

the'hereinbei'ore mentioned expediente while at the Vsame time providingseveral additional features of value. 4

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to the particularembodiment of my invention shown therein, the iioor and ceiling platecomprises two parte or segments l and 2 which are exact replicas of eachother and hence adapted to be interchangeable in the course ofmanufacture.

As shown in Figs. 1,'2, 3 and 4, pipe-engaging lugs or lingers 3 areintegrally formed with the segments l and 2, said fingers lbeingcommonly employed in the art orholding the floor and ceiling plate inthe position to which it is adjusted. eferring more particularly toFigs. 2. and', it will be noted that segments l and 2 are movablerelatively to each other about an axis which approximately coincideswith a point on the peripheral edge of the plate as a whole. For thepurpose ot connecting these parts of segments l and 2 on one side andleaving them tree to be opened out on the other side :for adjustmentinto a desired position, suitable connecting means are employed whichmakes it possible to swing said segments relatively to each other aboutan axis not within the contour of the plate itself. Pret'- erably, thisconstruction is made possible by embodying an arcuate slot or recess inone segment and an arcuate slide or projection on thc other segment. Therequirements 0l2 manufactui"I are best observed in the presentembodiment by securing to one ot" the segments a piece ot' sheet metal 4having a slot 5 formed therein concentric to the swinging axis. Slidablein the slot 5 is an arcuate protubcrance 6 formed on a piece of sheetmetal 7, said pieces 4 and 7 being secured to the inner walls of thesegments l and 2 b v autogcnous welds 8. This mode ot' attachment hasthe advantage oi obviating the use of rivets which would mar theornamental appearance ot' the exposed surface of the segments 1 and 2and thus impair its ornamentalappearance. At the same time thisconstruction obviates the use otl an ordinary hinge which necessitatesthe segments 1 and 2 being constructed unsynnnetrically and hencerequires a separate die for each segment which is not the case with thepre" ent invention.

AIn order to retain the lug 6 within the slot 5, a flange 9 is securedto the lug 6 and overlaps the edges of said slot. Said slot ispreferably formed in a raised arcuate portion 10 of the sheet metalpiece 4 to adapt it to slide `over a protuberant portion of ,the sheetmetal piece 7 which carries the lug 6. A resilient lug -11 is providedon' the sheet -,metal piece 7 in suitable'position to frictionallyengage the portion 10 of the sheet metal piece 4 when the segments 1 and2 are brought together as shown best in Fig. 2, the lug 11 exerting atendency to retain the segmentsl in closed position. Secured to theinner wall of'the segment 1, by means ofsomewhat with respect to thepiece 18 to' adapt it to force the lug 16 behind the flange 15 when thesegments are brought together. A cam finger 2O is integrally formed Withthe piece 18 by cutting the tongue 17 from said piece as indicated inFigs. 2 and 3, said cam QObeing adapted to engage the inner wall of thesegment 1 as the two segments are brought together in such a way as to'being brought into positive alinement.

insure the outer surfaces of said segments As shown in Fig. 2, the cam20 with the resilient tongue 17 substantially fills the opening 14 whenthe segments are in closed position. As indicated in Fig. 5, the flange9 has a depressed center 2.1 which fits a similar depression 22 in thearcuate lug 6 carried by the sheet metal piece 7.

The advantages of my improved construction will now be readilyunderstood and briefly are as follows. Each of the segments 1 and 2 is.susceptible of being stamped in one and the same die. They are providedwith permanentconnecting means and latching means without marring theexternal surface and thereby impairing the ornamental appearance of thesame. The permanent connecting' means which permits relative movementwithout disassociation, are adapted to permit a movement about an axisdistant from themselves thus rendering the provision of an ordinaryhinge unnecessary which would make it practically impossible toconstruct the segments as exact replicas of each other without formingprotuberances on their outer peripheries.k As a mattei" of fact, aslight play between the sides of slot 5 swinging axis entirely outsideof the peripheral edge of thc segments 1 and 2. Moreover and the arcuatewalls of lug 6 may shift the i members, oneof said connecting membershaving a portion secured to the inner face of one of said segments andanother portion spaced therefrom to form a recess, and the other of saidconnecting members having a portion secured to the inner face of theother segment and another portion projecting beyond said other segmentand suitably disposed to enter said recess, saidconnecting members being-provided with means permanently and movably connecting them.

2. A floor and ceiling plate comprising segments movable relatively toeach other about an axis one of said segments being provided with apiece having an arcuate slot or recess concentric with. a predeterminedswinging axis, and the other segment being provided with an arcuate lugconcentric with said axis and moving in said slot.

3. A floor and ceiling platecomprising segments movable relatively toeach other about an axis one of said segments being provided with apiece having an arcuate slot or recess concentric with a predeterminedswinging axis, and the other segment being provided with an arcuate lugconcentric with said axis andmoving in said slot,

said pieces being integrally formed with the inner walls of saidsegments.

1. A floor and ceiling plate comprising segments movable relatively toeach other f overlapping portion of the other piece adjacent the end ofthe closing movements of said segments.

Witnesses:

HARRY B. JENKINS, WM'. A. COURTLAND.

. HENRY J; KAST.

